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When President Trump announced that he ordered the Pentagon to begin the creation of a “Space Force”, while everyone was quick to ask questions of where the money would come from and make memes about Star Trek, no one has taken the time to try and figure out what this newly established branch of our military will actually be doing.
During his press conference, President Trump didn’t say much about the nature of the Space Force other than that it will be “separate but equal” Space Force” to the United States Air Force. As for why the United States needs to begin the further exploration into the final frontier, Trump said that it was necessary to avoid “China and Russia and other countries leading us.”
From all indications, it appears that the space force will be exactly what it sounds like: a militarization of space. The militarization of space is not a new idea in American culture as the original “space race” was one of the driving factors behind the Cold War with the Soviet Union.
President Trump had hinted at the creation of such a division in the past. In June 2017, the House Committee on Armed Services voted on a proposal to include the “U.S. Space Corps” in this year’s National Defense Authorization Act, however, the move was opposed by the various military leaders. The idea cropped back up in March 2018 when Trump told the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in San Diego that his “new national strategy for space recognizes that space is a war-fighting domain, just like the land, air, and sea.”
Trump’s suggestion was condemned by both Russia and China, with the Kremlin likening President Trump’s comment to “opening a Pandora’s box.” China has also spoken out against the further militarization of space, s. Outer space is all humanity’s property. China always advocates the peaceful use of outer space and opposes the placement of weapons and an arms race in outer space.”
As for what the Space Force will be exactly or where the money to fund it will come from, nobody knows, but what we do know is that the Trump Administration has shown a steadfast commitment to control of the “warfighting domain” that is space.
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